Recent Books

Einstein: His Life and Universe
Walter Issacson
***
A good read. Interesting details about early relationship with wife and family. He and his first wife had a daughter whom they later gave up for adoption, something no other biographies had revealed. More of a bohemian than I realized. Einstein never really collaborated in a deep way and, once he came up with his main ideas, became fixed on them.





Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor
Anthony Everitt
***
A fast moving account of Augustus's unlikely rise to power. Interesting elements:

• soldiers and citizens had allegiance to generals/leaders and not to state
• constant drive for top honors and unbridled competition between individuals prolonged Roman civil wars
  
  
• issues were rarely ideological between factions other than status differentiation between senate/aristocracy and commoners (and that wasn't even so simple)
  
• Augustus's determination to keep power in family led to it's dissolution (Tiberius renouncing role for TEN years)
  
• better understanding of Cleopatra and Anthony's alliance

Union 1812: The Americans Who Fought the Second War of Independence
A. J. Langguth
***
Having Read Gary Will's Henry Adams and the Making of America this was a good review for me and told via the biographies of the main characters. Wasn't as clear about Napoleon's machinations to force America into war with Britain, but a great retelling of the conflict between Napoleon and his brothers over the wisdom of selling Louisiana (He was in the bath and forcefully told them to bug off!)




Henry Adams and the Making of America
Garry Wills
****
It's been a while since I read this, but it's essentially a summary and commentary of Adam's history of the US during Jefferson, Madison. Monroe presidencies. It gave me a much better understanding of world politics vis a vis the US during this period.







The Palace of the Snow Queen: Winter Travels in Lapland
**
I read this book more for information to see what a little of my daughter's time in Sweden might be like. It's a very interesting part of the world with a complex and unusual society of Sami, Norwegian, Finnish, and Swedish cultures brewing together. Change is coming to the North and this book benchmarks the present with a good presentation of the past as well. That being said, the writing was good but not great. Pace was a little slow.